I'll Be Home
by princessg101
Summary: It's Christmas and Emily is feeling the absence of Hotch. "If I had a flower for every time I thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever."— Alfred Tennyson My annual tribute to Hotch with sweet Emily/Hotch Christmas tale.


I'll Be Home For Christmas

**A/N: Happy New Year everyone! In keeping with tradition, here is my story for the one and only Aaron Hotchner. It is Emily/Hotch with a healthy dose of the BAU family for the fluff. ENJOY! R&R PLZ! **

Emily sighed as she closed the final folder on her desk. She'd sent everyone else home for the holidays but was determined to finish her paperwork before leaving. One of the few traits she'd held onto from her own Unit Chief. Sometimes it still felt wrong to be in _his _office, to sit at _his _desk but they were hers now. She'd come to terms with his absence not that that lessened the hurt anymore. His presence was there even if he wasn't. They were in contact, used to be, if one could call it that. They sent postcards. Strange maybe but it worked for a while. She remembered the first time she got one.

It was after a particularly grueling case, lots of pressure from the public and the press and it was exhausting mentally and physically. They managed to catch the UNSUB in less than a week but only after he'd taken two more victims. Once the team was back at Quantico, she dragged herself to her office only to find a postcard on the desk. There was nothing written on it, no return address, just a plain blue image with the text "You are awesome" written in a stylized font. At first she was little concerned but then she looked carefully at her address and realized it was addressed to Em not Emily. Prentiss's eyes became misty, only one person ever called her that. They still honoured the spirit of Witness Protection but that didn't mean any of them were above bending it a little. With that mind, she sent a card of her own back to an address Garcia acquired for her. She could only imagine the look on Aaron's face when he saw a cartoon dinosaur waving at him with message, "It's been ages since we've heard from you! We really miss you!" Addressed to 'Hotch' Hotchner,

And from there it just kept going.

To: Em Prentiss

Don't panic. I'm with you.

To: Hotch Hotchner

Isn't it time to come back home?

To: Em Prentiss

Words can go where arms and hugs and heart can't

To: Hotch Hotchner

It's not the same without you

To: Em Prentiss

Home sweet home

To: Hotch Hotchner

I miss you more than all the miles between us!

To: Em Prentiss

When I close my eyes, I see you. When I open my eyes, I miss you.

To: Hotch Hotchner

From Virginia, with love

To: Em Prentiss

If I know what love is, it is because of you

After that, they both made the unspoken decision to stop. It was too real, too painful. Being Christmas though, she supposed could send one. She was about to head out when Luke knocked on her door, "Hey."

"Hey," she smiled at her teammate. "I thought I sent you packing hours ago."

"You did but I found this in my stuff. I think it's yours," he held out a small card that Emily knew on instinct what it was.

"Thanks," she took the postcard. It was typical Christmas scene with a tree and roaring fire inside a cozy house. The message read, 'I'll be home for Christmas.'

"Everything okay?" Luke asked. "You look a little pale."

"I'm fine," Prentiss assured him.

"Okay, see ya boss," Luke left and Emily could barely acknowledge him. Heart beating, she turned the card over and saw for the first time, a return address! In Virginia!

"I was going to wait at my place but I got a little impatient." None other than Aaron Hotchner stood in her doorway. Aaron Hotchner. In Virginia. In casual clothes. With a smile. None of this made any kind of sense.

Emily tentatively walked up to him. As if this was a dream and one wrong move would wake her up. She allowed just the barest touch of her fingertips on his jacket. "You're home…?"

Aaron pushed her hand firmly against his chest, "I'm here. I'm home Em."

They stared at each other in wonder for a long moment but – "Just kiss already!" Both heads snapped to the side and found the entire team in the bullpen spectating their moment. Garcia blushed profusely and Luke clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't mind us," Rossi waved a hand. "As you were."

"I thought I told you all to go home," Emily said ruefully. "That was an order."

"Well everyone was invited to our good friend Aaron's house for dinner and we couldn't leave the chief behind," JJ shrugged. "So we hung around."

"Uh-huh," Emily crossed her arms and turned back to Hotch. "You set me up."

"Not really," Hotch smirked. "Garcia is far more proficient than any realtor I could have hired. JJ and Rossi really have an eye for interior design. Luke and Matt merely helped move some furniture and Tara helped prep for dinner."

"Naturally. What does this mean? You're out of the program? Back with the BAU?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second," Hotch looked over at the bullpen. "I think you have a winning combination as it is. You're an amazing Unit Chief Emily."

"High praise from the best," Prentiss smiled. "So what now?"

"Family dinner and we can go from there."

"I'd like that." He helped her with her coat and they joined the team to head towards the elevators.

"No kiss," Garcia pouted a bit.

"You're the one who ruined it," Luke reminded her.

"No I didn't."

"You really did Penelope." Matt agreed.

"That's why Rossi and I got that mistletoe," JJ informed.

"And the extra wine," David winked.

"Why are you even match-making?" Reid asked. "It's obvious they'll be involved with each other."

"It's more like hedging our bets," Pen qualified.

"So what do you think it will take to fix this," Tara indicated between Luke and Penelope.

"A lot more than wine and mistletoe," the two eyed each other. Hotch and Emily just a shared a look and smile, wrapping their arms around each other and content to be with their family.


End file.
